Film to fabric laminations are well known techniques that are employed in order to impart certain properties of a polymeric film to a woven or non-woven fabric. For example, it may be desirable to impart properties such as opacity, controlled barrier or gas transport, moisture resistance or room darkness to a fabric, thus increasing the potential applications for which that fabric may be used. However, while it may be desirable in certain applications for the film-fabric laminations to have such improved properties as just mentioned, it is also important that the fabric retain a soft feel. For example, film to fabric laminations are frequently used in forming surgical gowns having improved strength and a good moisture barrier, however the material must also feel soft so that it is comfortable to the person who is wearing it. Additionally, when forming other personal care products such as diapers or surgical wraps, the soft feel of the material is of utmost importance to the user. Film to fabric laminates are also used in other applications, such as textile applications, in which a soft drape is an important factor to a consumer.
One problem associated with current film-fabric lamination techniques is the unavoidable limitations on the thicknesses of the films to be laminated onto the fabrics. Specifically, known techniques require that thick films (i.e. films having a thickness of at least 10 μm (0.40 mil)) be laminated to the fabric. This is because of the processing limitations of current coater and lamination equipment, specifically at the very high tolerances of tension control required to laminate thin polymer films to lightweight fabrics. However, films having a thickness of 10 μm or greater are typically unable to retain the soft feel of the fabric. In addition, such thick film laminations are disadvantageous because they tend to reduce the flexibility of the fabric. Flexibility of the fabric is often an important feature of a film-fabric lamination.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art to have a thin film-fabric laminate film (i.e. a film-fabric laminate having a film thickness of less than about 10 μm, preferably 8 μm or less) that can be economically manufactured and maintains the flexibility and soft feel of the fabric as compared to thicker film-fabric laminates.